Thailand football vice president Charnwit Pholchivin has questioned the use of Brazilian-born players in Vietnam’s national team ahead of the 2026 ASEAN Cup final, describing the squad as “Vietnam Plus.”
Charnwit, known as “Ajarn Rang,” said Thailand would not be intimidated by Vietnam but raised questions about the direction of national team building in Southeast Asian football.
“We have to ask where the pride is, because this is a football tournament in ASEAN,” Charnwit said, referring to Vietnam’s squad and the presence of players of Brazilian heritage.
The comments came ahead of a two-leg final between Thailand and Vietnam. Thailand will host the first leg at Rajamangala Stadium on 22 August before the second leg at My Dinh Stadium in Vietnam on 26 August.
Charnwit said Thailand’s chances would depend largely on the planning and player selection of head coach Anthony Hudson. While Thailand’s squad is not at full strength, with several key players unavailable, he said the coach would likely select the strongest team available.
He described Vietnam’s current squad as different from the team Thailand has traditionally faced, calling it “Vietnam Plus, plus Brazil.”
Charnwit also pointed to different approaches to national team development across the region, mentioning Singapore’s limited resources and the cases of Malaysia and Vietnam as issues that ASEAN football fans could debate.
He stressed, however, that Thailand had no intention of interfering in other countries’ decisions.
“We do not interfere. We are ready to play against every team that comes into ASEAN,” he said.
The two-leg final will put the focus not only on the rivalry between Thailand and Vietnam, but also on broader debates over how Southeast Asian national teams build their squads and maintain a sense of football identity.
